The Gens de Terre River (in French: ''Rivière Gens de Terre'', literal meaning: "people of the land") is a river in central Quebec, Canada. It is located on the eastern edge of the
La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve in the
La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau Regional County Municipality
La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau ''(The Valley of the Gatineau)'' is a regional county municipality in the Outaouais region of western Quebec, Canada. The seat is in Gracefield, Quebec, Gracefield. It was incorporated on January 1, 1983 and was named for ...
in the
Outaouais region. Its source is the
Cabonga Reservoir
The Cabonga Reservoir (french: Réservoir Cabonga) is a man-made lake in central Quebec, Canada, with a total surface area of and a net area (water only) of .Natural Resources Canada, Atlas of Canada Lakes/ref> It is located on the boundary betwe ...
from where it flows in a mostly southern direction for 115 km and drains into the Gens de Terre Bay of the
Baskatong Reservoir
The Baskatong Reservoir (french: Réservoir Baskatong) is a man-made lake in western Quebec, Canada. It was formed following the construction of the Mercier Dam ( fr) in 1927 and has an area of 413 km2. Since 2007, a 55 MW generating station ...
.
Tributaries include:
*Bélinge River
*Wapus River
*Serpent River
The section of the river between the Wapus River and the iron bridge downstream runs through a gorge with cliffs on both sides. This section is marked by continuous class II-IV
whitewater
Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and ...
, and should only be paddled by expert canoers.
The flow of the river depends greatly on the water level management in the Cabonga Reservoir.
History
The name of the river may be attributed to
Louis Antoine de Bougainville (1729-1811),
aide-de-camp to
Marquis de Montcalm. In 1757, he wrote in his journal: "''Têtes-de-Boule'' brought by the Nipissings. Those savages are also called people of the land (''gens des terres''), live in the woods, are great hunters, mediocre warriors, neither have police nor politics, trade more with the English at the Hudson Bay than with us". And in a memo from 1759, Bougainville wrote: "The nations that deal there are the ''Têtes-de-Boules'' (
Atikamekw
The Atikamekw are the Indigenous inhabitants of the subnational country or territory they call ('Our Land'), in the upper Saint-Maurice River valley of Quebec (about north of Montreal), Canada. Their current population is around 8,000. One o ...
) or people of the land and the Namcosakio who come from towards the Hudson Bay."
The name "Gens de Terre" was probably assigned by voyageurs or fur traders as a reminder of this native American nomadic tribe, whose territory stretched between the upper basins of the
Saint-Maurice,
Gatineau
Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and is part of Canada's N ...
, and
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
Rivers. It has been used in official documents since at least 1867.
In the early twentieth century, the river was called Bark River by the English.
The river was used for a long time by loggers for
log driving. The log drivers were nicknamed ''La Maline'' (the malignant) because of the obstacles and difficulties that were found along the route.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Canoeing description and map(in French)
Rivers of Outaouais
Tributaries of the Ottawa River